Brazil's Odebrecht to pay $2.6bn fine for corruption

A US judge has formally fined Brazil's engineering giant Odebrecht $2.6bn in a corruption case centred around the country's state oil company, Petrobras. The fine was a plea bargain deal agreed last year with the US, Brazilian and Swiss authorities. The judge said Brazil will receive ...

....2 Watch out for reduced items Look for the yellow vouchers in supermarkets that mark out those goods being sold to clear at sometimes greatly reduced prices. When and where to find the best bargains can be a tricky game – they are not advertised and can crop up on different goods at different times of the day. ...

.... It claims that self-employed status gives both it and its staff flexibility. However, the Central Arbitration Committee – a government body that resolves workplace disputes – is investigating whether Deliveroo’s drivers are independent contractors or whether they should be classified as workers with rights to holiday pay, the national minimum wage and collective bargaining via a union. ...

.... Global Justice Now has argued that “the only winners from this deal will be the big corporations who will be getting a raft of new powers that enable them to sue governments, have enormous influence to weaken important protections on the food we eat and lock in the privatisation of vital public services like the NHS”. That is only half of the story and, as War on Want point out, “Key elements of our public services have been bargained away without a shred of public debate. ...

....5m in share bonuses to directors and hundreds of other head office staff, despite a 300%-plus widening in losses. The pay rise also comes as the Central Arbitration Committee investigates whether Deliveroo’s drivers are independent contractors, as the company argues, or whether they should be classified as workers with rights to holiday pay, the national minimum wage and collective bargaining via a union. ...

....“They are not in a position to fire pilots because it would exacerbate their problem,” they said. The letter also makes reference to pilots’ strong bargaining position, saying: “The company faces a pilot shortage and even if this is only for a short period of time, the reputational damage that could result [. ...

....The Bank’s governor, Mark Carney, has suggested a sharp fall in migrant workers coming to Britain as a consequence of Brexit could push up wages and cause a spike in inflation in the short term. EU nationals may opt against coming to Britain due to real or potential restrictions, which could drive up the bargaining power of workers as the supply of available labour dissipates. ...